Alone no more
by JA Baker
Summary: A Kryptonian deep space probe arrives in Earth orbit and the Kent’s find themselves dealing with another lost soul in need of a home…
1. A late arrival from Krypton

_Ok folks, this is only my second attempt at a Smallville story, so please don't flame me if its not up to scratch._

_Setting: mid season 3_

**Alone no more  
Chapter 1: A late arrival from Krypton**

The probe entered the outer solar system with enough speed to easily escape the stars gravity if it so decided. It's outer hull changed configuration, rendering it invisible to the primitive electro-magnetic detection systems operating on the third planet.

The faded Ion trail led to the same planet, and the probe changed coarse, using a gas-giant to bleed of most of its speed and send it into a gentle orbit that took it to its destination.

Carefully shielded transmissions echoed out across the void and found a response from the middle of a large landmass. Scanning the area for other natural and artificial satellites, the probe entered orbit directly above the signal.

The probe took a while to decide what to do: it's power supply was down to just 20, barely enough to reach another habitable system, and there was no guaranty that that one would be any better.

The probe did the electronic equivalent of shrugging its shoulders, and awoke the program that lay dormant deep within its memory banks. That program spent a few minuets going over all the data it already had, and then scanned all the electro-magnetic frequency, updating what it had.

It waited for a moment, the electronic equivalent of a stunned silence, then prepaired a landing pod.

* * *

Clark Kent saw the shooting star pass over the farm and disappear behind the trees in the direction of the caves that held his fathers memories. There was a flash, followed by a muffled bang. Not even thinking twice, he took off at full speed.

* * *

The tennis ball sized probe shed its outer skin and floated up into the air at about head height. A small opening appeared, and a scanning beam quickly checked the cave, recording everything. It detected the Kryptonian technology embedded in the wall, and stopped.

A more direct beam focused on the wall, and the engraved symbols lit up.

"What the…" Clark looked at the strange sphere that floated in the middle of the cave. He found himself rooted to the spot as the probe turned its scanning beam on him. It ran over him reputably then stopped.

A strange voice spoke to him in a langue he didn't understand, but the tone sounded inquisitive.

"I can't understand what you're saying." He took a step closer, but the probe backed away.

"Who are you?" The voice asked again in English.

"My name's Clark Kent."

"Who are you?"

"I don't understand the question."

"Processing." The probe held still, and then emitted a golden light.

The beam stopped just before Clark, and he started to see the outline of a body. The form slowly solidified, taking on more detail, until a glowing man dressed in a set of black overalls with a red and gold crest on the front stood before him.

"I asked what your name is, son of Krypton." The man's voice was soft.

"Kal-El, son of Jor-El." Clark responded without even thinking.

"You are Jor-El's son?" The man raised an eyebrow, and then smiled, "I should have known he was up to something."

"You knew my father?" Clark asked, confused.

"No: I am a hologram, a recording." The man shook his head, "But I hold the memories of Zor-El, brother of Jor-El."

"My father had a brother?"

"Indeed: They where not close, but they did keep in touch."

"How did you get here?"

"There is a Kryptonian deep space probe in orbit 120-miles above your head. I was carried in its data banks, inactive, sleeping if you like. It followed an Ion trail to this world and awakened me. I came down to see what it had found."

"What are you looking for?"

"A refuge for a lost soul."

"You?"

"No." Zor-El shook his head, "For my daughter, Kara."

"Huh?" Clark blinked.

* * *

"My folks are going to kill me when they find out about this…" Clark muttered, standing in the middle of the field, looking up at the night sky.

"You worry too much." The holographic Zor-El stood next to him, "And if what you have told me is true, they are good people."

"What was my real family like?" Clark asked, trying to work a few things out in his head.

"Tor-El, Jor-El and Zor-El's farther, was a member of the Kryptonian ruling council for most of his life. As the eldest, Jor-El was expected to follow in his footsteps. Zor-El was a dreamer, a scientist: he built the prototype space-arc that brought you here."

"Why do you always talk about yourself in the third person."

"Because I am not Zor-El: he is dead, and I am but a recording of his personality and memories."

"Like the recording of Jor-El in the cave?"

"In a way." Zor-El pointed up into the sky, "Here it comes."

Clark looked up in time to see one of the mired of stars visible in the clear Kansas night sky start to move. It grew brighter, slowly circling as it descended. Finally Clark was able to see the outline of a ship almost identical to the one that had brought him to Earth all those years before.

The main difference being that it was ten times the size.

"That's going to be hard to hide." Clark looked at it, "Why's it so big?"

"Because it needed to be." Zor-El looked at the young man, "Kara is 15 Earth years old."

* * *

"Mom, Dad?" Clark opened the Farmhouse's front door.

"In here son." His Jonathan Kent called from the kitchen, "What is it?"

"Um, you'd better come and see for yourself." Clark answers, feeling a little guilty.

"What's the matter?" Martha Kent came through the doorway first, and stopped dead when she saw the young girl Clark was holding in his arms, "What happened."

"It's a long story." Clark smiled sheepishly, "It seems she's my cousin."

"This is a little hard to take." Jonathan Kent looked down as Kara as she lay on the sofa, still sleeping, "You trust this Zor-El?"

"I don't see how I can't." Clark looked at his adoptive father, "There's no way anyone could fake what I saw: she really did arrive in a Kryptonian ship, just like I did. Zor-El knows things that no one should about my past, about Jor-El."

"So how did he survive the destruction of Krypton?" Martha asked.

"Because Zor-El wasn't on Krypton." The hologram walked through the doorway, followed by the probe that contained his memories, "He was on the neighbouring planet, Argo: a small colony had been set up there, and Zor-El was studding the planets geology. When Krypton was destroyed, the colony was forced to fend for its self. They tried their best, but without the support of their home world, it was a losing battle."

"I think you'd better start from the beginning again and go a little slower." Clark sat down, dazed.

* * *

"Any idea when she'll wake up?" Clark asked his 'uncle' once his parents had gone to bed.

"It is hard to say." Zor-El shrugged, "The stasis field that protected her during the journey affects everyone differently. It is hard to say how she will react."

"Ok." Clark leaned over his cousin to get a better look: her pale face was framed by long blond hair that ran down past her shoulders. She was certainly what most people would consider beautiful, maybe even striking, but there was still something that worried Clark, "What are we going to tell people about her?"

"The truth: she is your cousin, that her parents died not long ago, and that she has come to live with you. I can easily plant the appropriate files in the right computer systems. You will have to take care of any hard-copy's, but that shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Will she have the same powers as me?" Clark asked, sitting down in an armchair.

"In time: she has not been exposed to this worlds yellow sun, but it will start to effecter her. She will eventually develop the same abilities as you have, but at a slower rate. She is younger, after all."

"This is going to take some getting used to." Clark sighed; his eyes feeling heavy, "Life just keeps getting weirder and weirder…" he drifted off to sleep.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. More questions than answers

_Rouge-angel: Yeah, well, I try…  
__Caprice Ann, DuMont and pzqr6: ask and you shall receive…  
__Theory: Kara/Lex? There's got to be like 10-years between them…  
__Crash Slayer: give the guy a chance to get over the shock before he starts freaking out…_

**Alone no more  
Chapter 2: More questions than answers**

Clark woke next mourning when he felt the sun on his face. He opened his tired eyes, forgetting for a moment where he was and what had happened. He remembered after stretching his arms, and looked at the sofa.

It was empty.

He looked around the room; worried that something had happened to his cousin.

"In here Clark." Zor-El called from the kitchen.

Clark leaped to his feet and hurried through the doorway, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Kara: she was huddled under the table, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, shaking.

"Is she ok?" Clark asked the holographic Kryptonian.

"She's just woken up in a strange house, full of strange people, on a strange world, and everyone he's ever known is dead." Zor-El raised an eyebrow, "I'd say she's taking things surprisingly well."

"Ok, I get your point." Clark nodded, "Can she understand us?"

"Yes and no: several Earth languages were downloaded into he mind while she was in suspended animation. I didn't know where she was going to end up, so I covered all the bases. The only problem is it's going to take her a few days to work it all out in her head."

"What languages?"

"English, French, German, Japans, Arabic, Cantonese and Italian."

"Seven languages? That's a lot to take in…"

"She'll get use to it."

* * *

"What do you think: Cantonese or Japans?" Jonathan Kent asked as he listened to Kara yelling her head off in some unknown language. 

"Arabic." His wife shook her head, "I recognise it from the Discovery channel."

"I think we should be doing more to help…"

"Anytime anyone other than Zor-El goes near her she hides under the table: I think it's best we leave them too it."

* * *

"She's stopped swearing." Zor-El smiled, "That's a start." 

"Yeah, big change…" Clark rolled his eyes before sitting down on the floor, "Kara, I know you must be feeling a little scared right now, but no one is going to hurt you."

"Who are you?" The frightened young woman asked, her first coherent sentence in English all day.

"My names Clark, Clark Kent."

"Strange name."

"I was born Kal-El, son of Jor-El. You may no of him."

"He was my fathers brother…"

"I know: he…" Clark stopped, "His hologram explained. Can you please come out from under there?"

"Ok…" Kara slowly pulled herself out from under the table, still hugging the woollen blanket around her shoulders, "Where am I?"

"My home: the farm where I grew up with my adoptive parents."

"What do you call this place?"

"The nearest town is Smallville. The state is called Kansas, the country we live in is…"

"The United States of America: a republic consisting of 50-states in the northern hemisphere of the planet Earth..." Kara blinked, "How did I know that?"

"You have the equivalent education as to this planet and its past as a native of your age." Zor-El explained, pretending to lean against the refrigerator, "And a few other useful bits of information..."

"You stay a away from me!" Kara yelled at the hologram, "I never asked for this!"

"There's no point being angry at me: I'm not the one who sent you here." Zor-El looked sad, "Your farther truly thought he was doing the best by sending you away: he saved what he could, what he held most precious…"

"I know no-one here!" Kara screamed, "He took away my family, my friends, my life!"

"Please, calm down." Clark rested a hand on her shoulder, and was taken aback when she collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably, "Look, everything's going to be all right: we're going to take care of you."

* * *

"She's sleeping, finally." Clark walked down the stairs from the guest room, "I think she needed to get it all out of her system." 

"It's going to taker her a while to adjust." Martha looked concerned, "I'd sagest taking her to a therapist, but we could never trust them…"

"It'll be hard, but we'll help her through it." Jonathan nodded, "You all set for tonight, Clark?"

"Yeah: Zor-El's prepaired the false papers to put in the county and state files. Medical records, school records, next of kin notifications." Clark nodded, lifting a thick wedge of paper, "We decided to go with the Switzerland option: say her parents lived over there and lost contact with my birth parents so they couldn't be contacted when I went up for adoption. He's done some creative programming on the computerised records to make it look like she was able to find me through my adoption records after her parents where killed."

"That won't fool everyone." It was Jonathan's turn to look concerned, "Lionel Luther for one…"

"And Chloe." Clark nodded guiltily, "I had her look into my adoption a while ago: she knows it was bogus."

"Do you think you can trust her?" Martha asked.

"I don't think we have much choice." Clark shrugged, "I may have to tell her the truth, even if it dose cost me her friendship."

"Let's not do anything hasty, son." Jonathan shook his head, "Let's just get tonight over with…"

* * *

"Good morning: did you sleep well?" Martha asked the young woman as she made her way downstairs. 

"It feels a little strange." Kara stood at the bottom of the stairs, unsure what to do next, "I have all this knowledge in my head, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to use it."

"Well, you can sit and have breakfast with me first: Clark and Jonathan aren't back from Metropolis yet."

"Why did they have to go there?"

"Very few people know the truth about Clark, so we need to plant a few false records to explain who you are without raising too many questions."

"Why don't people know about Clark?"

"Because there are some people who'd take advantage of him, or try and find out how he works. We don't want anything to happen to him, so we kept quiet about where he's from."

"Will I have to lie?"

"I'm afraid so: we don't want anyone to hurt you?"

"Ok." Kara sniffed at a glass of orange juice before sipping it, "Where's the hologram?"

"He went down to the caves to talk to Jor-El: I think there are a few things the two of them need to work out..."

* * *

"Kal-El has a destiny!" Jor-El bellowed, making the cave shake, "I will not let you take that from him!" 

"You sound just like father." Zor-El shook his head, unparsed by the outburst, "Full of grand plans and ideas, but no idea how people feel."

"I know how people feel, but sometimes feelings have to be put aside…"

"Like father did when mother died?"

"How _DARE_ you talk about him like that!"

"Oh get over yourself! You've put him on such a pedestal that nothing can change your view of him. But remember this: I was there when you return home from your visit here. I saw the look on your face when father told you the plans he had for this world and its people."

"Tor-El was a grate man!"

"He was a bad farther!"

* * *

"Even as a recording, that man infuriates me!" Zor-El walked through the back door to the Kent's home, fuming, "So full of his own self importance…" 

"We've noticed." Martha sighed, "Can you keep it down a little? Jonathan and Clark only just got back and have gone straight to bed, and I have to phone the school and tell them Clark won't be in today."

"And Kara?"

"She's upstairs, trying on a few of my old cloths: we want to make sure the paperwork's been accepted before we go shopping for anything new."

"A good idea: I'll have some money transferred to your bank account to cover it…"

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Maybe, but not immoral: I was going to siphon it away from a secret government account used to pay for illegal operations around the world."

"I may agree with the morality, but not the act: we can afford to by Kara anything she needs without resorting to fraud."

"As you wish: I only offered."

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Teen angst and damsels in distress

_Apologies if the German isn't up to scratch: I failed my GCSE in it and had to rely on an online translator, so the grammar may be a bit off._

**Alone no more  
Chapter 3: Teen angst and damsels in distress**

Clark stood leaning against the porch railing, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened over the previous two days: he'd dreamed of finding his real family, even after he learned of the destruction of Krypton, but he'd never expected it to come true.

Kara was still in need shock, having a hard time getting used to living on Earth. She had developed a tendency to change from one language to another without realising. Although this was not a major problem, it was something she needed to get control of before she started school.

His adoptive-parents were taking it the best: Martha Kent had always wanted a daughter and had instantly taken a liking to Kara, fussing over her endlessly. For her part the young Kryptonian seemed to be opening up to the older woman, and Clark had seen them deep in conversation more than once.

He'd kept himself from eavesdropping out of respect for their privacy: if Kara had anything she needed to talk to him about, she would.

The sound of crushed gravel brought Clark back to reality, and he looked up to see a distinctive VW Beatle pull up outside the barn.

"Chloe." He blinked, then ducked it head back inside, "You'd better get ready: Chloe's here." He then turned back outside to greet his friend.

* * *

"Is this someone we can trust?" Kara asked when she heard her cousins warning.

"We're not sure: she's one of Clarks best friends, but she wants to be a newspaper journalist and has an eye for a story." Martha looked a little concerned, "For now its probably best if we go with the cover story."

"Wie Sie wünschen." Kara nodded, straitening her blouse.

"Clark, this is like, huge!" Chloe's voice could be heard as she followed her friend through the front door, "We always thought your family was dead."

"Well, with one exception, they are." Clark stopped in the kitchen doorway, "Chloe, meet Kara Danvers. Kara, this is my friend Chloe Sullivan."

"Gutenmorgen Fräulein Sullivan." Kara nodded.

"Gutenmorgen Fräulein Danvers." Chloe returned the nod, surprised, "Sie Sind Deutsch?"

"No, but I was raised in Switzerland." Kara laughed, "Don't worry, I speak English fluently: I just happen to have a gift for languages."

"Cool!" Chloe smiled, "So, you going to be staying here long?"

"It looks like it." Clark nodded, "So far it looks like I'm her only living relative, and my parents have said it ok for her to stay with us."

"Another damsel in distress for you to run around rescuing all the time?" Chloe teased her friend.

"Excuse me?" Kara raised an eyebrow, "Something somebody's not telling me?"

"Yeah, I'd better go: just popped by to see why you weren't at school yesterday Clark." Chloe grinned as she backed out the door, "See you around Kara."

"Nice to meet you, Chloe." Kara waved after her, "So, Clark, 'damsels in distress'?"

* * *

"This is a strange and wonderful world, and I've still got a lot to learn." Kara stood leaning against the windowsill in the barn, "I'm not sure I'm that keen on 'superpowers'."

"It's something you'll get used to." Clark sat on the old sofa, looking at his cousin, "And Zor-El doesn't think it'll effect you for some time: you've not been exposed to the light of a yellow sun before."

"Please. Don't mention that name in front of me again."

"Ok, but you need to get used to having him around."

"Like hell I will. And what convinced you to pick the name 'Danvers' for me? You realise that it is now your birth name as well."

"I remember it from a comic book I read when I was a kid."

"So now I'm some comic book character? How the hell do I even know what a comic book is?"

"All that instant pop-culture in your head. You looking forward to school Monday?"

"No. I'll only know two people there: Chloe and you, and neither of you are going to be in any of my classes."

"Well you're rebelling against your father, who you hate, so I think you'll fit in."

"Yo, Clark, you around man?" Pete Ross called from downstairs, "I just got this really wired phone call from Chloe: something about a long-lost…" He stopped dead when he saw Kara.

"Pete, Kara. Kara, Pete." Clark introduced the two, "Don't worry: Pete knows the truth about me."

"So you can tell your friends, but I can't tell any I might make?" Kara shot an accusing glance at her cousin, "That sounds fare."

"Hey, I kind of found out by accident!" Pete held up his hands defensively, "Although I must say it did explain a lot."

"Yeah, I've had the whole 'with great power comes great responsibility' speech already." Kara nodded, heading for the stairs, "I'll leave you two alone."

"Little Miss Teen-Angst or what?" Pete asked once she was out of hearing, "So she's Kryptonian too, huh?"

"Yeah, she's the daughter of Jor-El's younger brother, Zor-El." Clark nodded, "She arrived night before last. Turns out there were a few survivors on another planet, but they weren't going to last much longer, so her father sent her here."

"Let me guess: survivors guilt."

"You've been watching the learning channel again, haven't you?"

"It's addictive."

"Yeah, well she's got her very own holo-dad following her around, trying to explain that what he did was for the best, but he keeps talking about himself in the third person, and I think it puts her off a little."

"How your folks taking it?"

"Moms ecstatic: she always wanted a daughter. I think dad just want everything to settle down a little, and he's worried about what Chloe and Lionel Luther are going to dif up."

"I know we've been over it before, but I think you should maybe consider telling Chloe the truth: I know she did that whole 'Dark Side' thing when she worked for Lionel, but she only did it because she wanted to find out more about you."

"Yeah, well, my folks don't see it that way."

"You can't let your parents run your life forever."

* * *

Kara stood looking at the sunset over the seemingly endless Kansas cornfields, her arms hugging her body protectively, trying not to cry: she'd stopped doing it in the house once she realised how much it upset Martha Kent, but she was still having trouble coming to terms with everything.

Looking up at the first stars to appear in the darkening sky, she remembered her life on Argo: the town council had been debating what to do about he worsening situation for years, but nothing had ever come of it. Her father, one of the colonies leading scientist, had long been an advocate of abandoning the hostile world in favour of one of the many more habitual planets their people had visited before the destruction of Krypton.

But the politician's just talk, and the people lost hope.

All but her father: the relentless dreamer and eternal optimist. She remembered seeing him working on the probe in his lab behind their house, but had thought it was nothing more than a way for him to keep busy after her mother had died. She had gone to bed, same as most other nights, with her father still busy in his lab, not knowing that her world was going to change.

When she woke next, she was in a strange house on a strange world, ripped away from everything and everyone she ever knew. Kara knew that she had to work out her mixed feeling about her father and what he had done, but for now she just wanted to know that tomorrow would follow today.

Sighing, she turned and headed back towards the Kent farm.

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
